We Have a Winner!

Welcome to the exciting conclusion of Hold 322’s 2013 Tournament of Heroes! We began with 64 heroes, but now only four remain. One of them shall soon be crowned the Champion of Heroes, but which one shall it be? Without further ado, let’s get to the incredible results!

of all, this fight would be better than every single Wrestle-mania main event ever staged. You have the most powerful Justice League member against the most powerful Avenger. The Man of Steel versus the God of Thunder. The Last Son of Krypton versus the warrior son of Odin. I stated that Superman would have a slight power advantage but would only be able to use that advantage if he could drop his inhibitions and not hold back in the fight. We all know Thor won’t be holding back and if Superman is to defeat him, he’ll have to bring all his powers to bear and not let up until Thor drops and stays dropped. Jeff didn’t think Superman’s slight power advantage would be enough to overcome a warrior of Thor’s caliber. We joked about if the fight happened in Smallville, it would be over quickly for Clark. Imagine if Thor hits Superman once with his hammer and knocks the surprised Kryptonian into a rock quarry full of Green Kryptonite. Thor: “My friend, are you suddenly stricken with illness? You seem a shade greener than when first I saw you…”
We also talked about the differences when both characters died and came back to life. Superman just took a few weeks to wake up from his super-nap, while Thor had to battle his way back from the afterlife. In the end, I alone voted for my fan-boy favorite, while Jeff and JC voted for the golden boy from Asgard.

Winner: Thor, by a 2-1 vote

Spider-Man (#2 seed, and winner of Group C) versus Batman (#2 seed, and winner of Group D)

Yet another truly epic encounter! We all geeked out about this one for a long time, weighing all the options and possible outcomes. Jeff asked if there had ever been a crossover between the two characters. I told him there had been (in which Batman beat up Carnage with his fists!) and Jeff then asserted that logically, that would mean Batman would have a plan already in place for defeating Spider-Man, should they ever find themselves pitted against each other. JC and I agreed. We also all agreed that Bruce is always prepared for his battles, well in advance, while both Peter and Otto usually adjust their tactics after an initial encounter. JC noted how great a scientific battle Otto versus Bruce would be. I said that my hope would be for Batman to restore Peter to his body and then, in gratitude, Peter would resign the contest… and ask for an Bat-autograph. In the end, we all agreed on this fight.

None of us could come up with a reasonable way for Batman to win this fight. I was counting on Jeff to think up one, but he didn’t. JC even decided that Bruce would consider all his options, all the possible outcomes and simply decide to surrender. After Jeff and JC both voted for Thor, I had Jeff flip a coin to determine my vote: which ended up being a protest vote for Batman.

Winner: THOR!

So there you have it, folks. Our 3013 tournament winner is Thor, the God of Thunder. Making the biggest surprise of this Batman Invitational Tournament the fact that Batman didn’t win.

Join us next year, same-Thor time, same Thor-website, when we will do the tournament all over again. This time, with a few changes we think you’ll like.

That’s all from me for today. Until my next blog, be sure to listen to Hold 322, follow me on twitter @Robert_A_Easton, and read comics, read comics, read comics.